Off the Grid

These new areas in our stairwell that head up to our Master Suite warm my mom heart and I can focus on them as I walk up or down the stairs.

I’ll be counting my blessings throughout the weekend and into next week.

We are going to be spending lots of time with all our kids and our extended family over the next several days so I’ll be far off my normal grid.

Hope you all have a good Friday and weekend. Here in the U.S.A. we have an extended weekend since Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Our banks, post offices and schools will have Monday off. I hope to catch up with you all next week.

Let Your Light Shine…

“Det ljusnar en smula för den som tänder ljus för andra “

The literal translation from google is:

“It brightens slightly for those who light candles for others”

I’m hoping that a Scandinavian blogger might be able to correct this translation if it’s off or wrong.

This came down to us from Dear’s mother’s people who are all Swedish. I’m sorry to say I don’t know which relative or friend painted it and who it was painted for. It has the year 1950 painted on the back. I enjoy seeing it on the wall and I appreciate the sentiment on it, too.

I did my own little word study on light from the Bible. Here are some of the verses I found from the English Standard Version of the Bible.

For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Psalm 18:28

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Psalm 43:3

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8: 12

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. John 12:46

It was a good exercise to look up these references about light on a dark winter’s day. Good to remember the source of my light and my salvation.

A, the Finale…

ABC Wednesday is starting their farewell tour. This will be the last trip through the alphabet with Mrs. Nesbitt and her team. On this farewell tour I will be looking back with a mix of old and new for each letter. Click on ABC Wednesday to see what others are sharing.

Amish, animals the Amish use and Architecture are my choices for A. All these photos are from our trip to Amish Country in Indiana and Ohio the end of September (2016) with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

The architecture photos are from the village of Millersburg in Holmes County, Ohio. I haven’t shared these photos on my blog before. Millersburg is in the heart of the largest Amish settlement. This is the Courthouse at the county seat.

We found the downtown to be charming with many interesting shops and original architecture.

Millersburg was incorporated February 17, 1835.

Hotel Millersburg built in 1847 is on the left. The Hotel, which has been placed on the US Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places, is located in the center of the Millersburg National Historic district.

Now to the present…how’s January 2017 shaping up? Things are busy here and I’ll have a lot to share later. We are still cold and icy but nothing to compare with other parts of the country.

Twice in December

Twice in December we drove north to the town of La Conner to enjoy a meal and a stroll.

We enjoy the farm scenes that we pass along the way.

At the end of December we celebrated Katie’s birthday at Anelia’s which features some good Polish fare and other light dishes.

At the beginning of December we ate at the Oyster and Thistle for our anniversary.

I’m linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

I’m also linking up for The Barn Collective with Tom The Backroads Traveler.

We had a cold quiet weekend mostly with small projects accomplished and started. I lasted just a very short while outside starting the Apple Tree Pruning. It didn’t take long for my hands to complain from the cold. I’ll be doing that project in short shifts. The Pear tree needs pruning also. January is full of events for us at this Old House.

Today at the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog I posted a French Onion Soup for two recipe. I was inspired by the soup I had at the Oyster and Thistle in La Conner in the mosaic above. Happy Monday!

Shine Upon Us Lord~ Hymn

Shine Thou Upon Us Lord

Shine Thou upon us, Lord, true Light of men, today,
And through the written Word Thy very self display,
That so from hearts which burn with gazing on Thy face
Thy little ones may learn the wonders of Thy grace.

Breathe Thou upon us, Lord, Thy Spirit’s living flame,
That so with one accord our lips may tell Thy Name.
Give Thou the hearing ear, fix Thou the wandering thought,
That those we teach may hear the great things Thou hast wrought.

Speak Thou for us, O Lord, in all we say of Thee;
According to Thy Word let all our teaching be,
That so Thy lambs may know their own true Shepherd’s voice,
Where’er He leads them go, and in His love rejoice.

Live Thou within us, Lord, Thy mind and will be ours;
Be Thou beloved, adored, and served with all our powers,
That so our lives may teach Thy children what Thou art,
And plead, by more than speech, for Thee with every heart.

words by John Ellerton, 1889

First Five…

My first Five on Friday, Friday’s Fave Five, and Foodie Friday and Everything Else for 2017.

I saw and bought this delightful looking book because of it’s cover. Who could resist the inviting illustrations?

I bought it for just over $2.00 at Goodwill.

Part One: Childhood, Part Two: Country Life, Part Three: Pepperidge Farm, Part Four: Cooking From Antique Cookbooks, Part Five: Ireland.

There are great stories, recipes and illustrations throughout the book. Dear has been reading segments to me that he has found to be interesting and entertaining about the history of Pepperidge Farms. Here’s a quote from the end of the Foreword, “Few things are more rewarding to a woman than that happy feeling she has when she knows that the food she has prepared with love and interest brings pleasure to her family, served in a setting more important than any glamorous restaurant-dinner at home!”

This last photo I’m sharing is of my youngest sister with my dear old Pop on Christmas Eve. My mom would be pleased he thought to put a red shirt on. His shirt pocket has envelopes filled with a little cash for his kids, grandkids, and great grands. He’s not interested in having any money left in his accounts when he heads to heaven!

It’s safe to say my Pop has no treasures stored up on this earth but his Bible, the chair he loves and his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Thank you to Amy, Susanne and Michael Lee for hosting these Friday memes.

My Dear hooked up our new equipment from Xfinity to replace our old slow equipment and I’m so happy that everything is working great and all went smoothly. Hooray! You all know the tension when the good ole internet does not function properly for bloggers! Happy weekend to all of you.

Watch Your Step…

We have been experiencing freezing temperatures at this old house. This next photo is our frozen deck and we need to walk very carefully on or we’ll land on our backside.

It’s about 26 feet from our deck doors to our garage so when the ice is thick and slick on the deck we’ll circumvent the deck altogether and walk around from our front door to the garage to be extra safe. This next photo shows the length of the deck we walk daily although this photo was taken in early Spring.

I took this photo of this frozen fountain yesterday. It is outside one of our favorite garden shops to visit especially for their after Christmas sales. The fountain is for sale, not on sale, for $3999. I wonder if you get the ice at that price?

Our kids in Eastern Washington have been having temperatures in the minus -5 degree range. I’m glad I bought our little one who is busy gaining weight in her mom’s womb this snow suit that she should fit into during next winter. Justifying purchases for her has begun already. This was 1/3 it’s original cost so the justification came easy.

Dear is about to install a new piece of equipment that our internet provider sent us to upgrade our unit that they say is way out of date. I might not be able to be on the internet for a while. I do hope all goes well and we are back up with no headache problems with the installation. Hope you have a wonderful day free of any internet issues! Blessings…

Starting Fresh with Hodgepodge…

1. Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday.

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Our Nutcracker Christmas Crackers had little whistle/flutes in them and instructions to toot some Christmas songs together. It was so much fun with us laughing so much we snorted and maybe drooled a bit while trying to toot our whistles upon demand. Each whistle was numbered to created the right tone/note. Oye…it was fun!

2. What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?

Swedish pancakes on Christmas morning are the best. 1st because Dear cooks them. 2nd because we all love them. A tradition that will not be broken.

3. What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?

People, people, people are the most beautiful things we saw over the holidays. A very beautiful thing was that our oldest flew to eastern Washington to help his brother and sister in law move into their new home in frigid temperatures. Our boys have a way of being able to motivate and help each other in good and tough times and it’s a beautiful thing to see and hear about.

4. What does fresh start mean to you?

Fresh Start was the name of my home cleaning business that I started in the late 80’s and early 90’s and that’s the first thing that came to mind with this question. Dear was in Pharmacy School for a mid-life change in his profession and I cleaned toilets to make money in several homes and at a medical and dental clinic. Of course I cleaned more than toilets but you get the idea. The work was so aerobic and I was so skinny.

5. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain.

If I take my fluff out of the equation I’d give myself an 8!

I’m still fluffy but besides that my health and outlook are good. I am not taking any medications. An IT Band Syndrome is still plaguing me even though I’m not a runner by any stretch of the imagination. Exercises to strengthen my core and take the strain off my IT band are helping. It generally takes a lot to get me down and I’m thankful for that. So…I’ll stick with an 8!

6. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen or, if you’re like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it’s used. There were quite a few on this year’s list I’d never heard before. Here’s the 2017 list of banished words-You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption. Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

I’m tired of hearing about Town Hall Meetings. Another one I’d like to not hear again is “Gun Control”.

7. Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year.

I got this fitbit for Christmas and I’d like to add the light goal of moving more.

My deep goal is to pray more.

^{1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18:}

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve got a recipe for Crock Pot Potato soup inspired from bj’s blog and Paula Deen up on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. It was easy and satisfying. Click on over to see it.

The illustration at the top of this post is Russian and the words translate Happy New Year. I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Linking up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. She provides the questions and we provide the answers.

Zestful and Zany 2016

Zestful: full of energy and enthusiasm. Here are some zestful captures in 2016.

There are also some zany moments. Zany: amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.

Dan and Jamie have birthdays one day apart in January. Here’s their Happy Birthday Cookie Pizza.

Our boys have birthdays 3 days apart in January. We were able to celebrate Josh since he lives on our side of the state.

My pop holding his youngest great granddaughter for the first time in 2016. She was born Christmas Eve 2015.

Sister weekend Selfies.

Daughter Selfies.

Easter Egg Hunt!

Praying over our dough so it will rise!

Met up with my brother’s family in Austin Texas at the end of April. They live in Dallas and I drove from San Antonio.

Together with my brother and sister in June in Southern California.

My siblings having some fun with our sleeping pop.

The Mennonite Girls having some fun with our newly published book.

Our 93 year old Pop getting his turn to hit the pinata at his great granddaughter birthday party.

Zestful Sounders MLS Cup win in Toronto, Canada.

Our zany daughter on Christmas morning in her onezie.

We are already at the letter Z for ABC Wednesday. Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and her team for keeping us going all these years. Joy to my ABC Wednesday friends!

Onward and upward into 2017 we go. Today we woke up to cold temperatures for the Puget Sound area, 15! We aren’t suppose to get up over 30 degrees today. Brrr. I guess we’ll wait to prune our fruit trees till the days warm up next week. Hope your year is starting well.

2016 in Review July-December

Fourth of July with family, friends and neighbors.

Book launch for Bread for the Journey at Marg’s home in Chilliwack, B.C.

July 30th we received an announcement from Dan and Jamie that they were expecting our first grandchild!

August Book launch celebration at the Heritage Museum in Abbotsford, B.C.

Travels to Dan and Jamie’s to help with projects in August.

Memorial service for our dear friend Dave Dickinson late in August with all of our family.

August/September visits to Eastern Washington and visits here from cousins.

October Western Conference clinched and another trip to Eastern Washington where I was able to hear Baby Bayles’ heartbeat, attend a sign making class and see that beautiful rainbow above.

We found out we are having a little granddaughter!

November day trips and wonderful Thanksgiving gatherings with friends and family.

Early December trip to Canada for our annual MGCC Christmas dinner.

Our 42nd wedding anniversary meal in La Conner at the Oyster and Thistle a day late but just as good .

December 11th our Sounders beat Toronto to win their first ever MLS Cup!

Downtown Seattle for the MLS Championship parade and celebration with Josh and Laura. (December 14th)

Dan and Jamie moved into their new home in weather that ranged from 8 degrees to 22 degrees. Josh flew over to help them move the weekend before Christmas!

Christmas day with all of our kids and then a trip to La Conner with Katie and Andrew to celebrate Katie’s birthday.

We ended the year with a nice chilly walk and then a Raclette dinner at this old house with dear old friends. Sad to say I forgot to take a photo! Here’s the table set in Husky gold and purple even though our dear Huskies lost to the Crimson Tide after a great run in 2016!

Today on New Year’s day we managed to put away Christmas decorations and drag the tree out to the yard waste bin. Woohoo! Tomorrow I will enjoy sitting and watching the Rose Bowl Parade and maybe the Rose Bowl game.

Hope that 2017 is having a good start at your house!

Numbers 6: 24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Author Archives: Ellen